Paris, Jul 31 (IANS): Clubs in the French Ligue 1 and Ligue 2 will be able to use five substitutions in the 2020-21 season. According to French magazine L'Equipe, the decision was taken by the French Professional Football League (LFP) after a meeting of its board of directors on Friday morning.

The LFP had earlier announced that the 2020/21 season of the French Ligue 1 will start on August 22 and will conclude on May 23 next year. Lorient host Strasbourg on the opening weekend, while Lens are on the road at Nice.

Defending champions Paris St Germain will face Metz at home in their first match of the season on August 23.

PSG had won their seventh top flight title in eight seasons when the league was suspended prematurely on March 13 due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Subsequently, FIFA announced that the new five substitute rule will remain in place until the end of the 2020-21 season amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

"Following the decision taken on May 8, 2020 to give competitions scheduled to be completed in 2020 the option of allowing teams to use up to five substitutes, The IFAB Board of Directors had agreed to review whether to extend this option further," FIFA said in a statement.

"On the basis of this in-depth review, which included stakeholder feedback and an analysis of the impact of COVID-19 on competition calendars, the IFAB Board of Directors has extended the option to competitions scheduled to be completed by July 31, 2021 and to international competitions scheduled in July/August 2021."